Heroes of Corneria!
by ThatTwoGuy
Summary: In the vein of Darths and Droids and DM of the Ring, this story is about five friends getting together to play a tabletop RPG called "Final Fantasy."  Epic adventures await the gamers as they immerse themselves in the fantasy universes we know and love.
1. Party With No Mage

This is not a story about epic battles, spellbinding magic, valiant heroism, or chocobo riding. But it will include all of these things.

Instead, this is a story of a group of friends getting together to play a tabletop roleplaying game called Final Fantasy.

Taking inspiration from the hit webcomics, DM of the Rings and Darths and Droids, I've decided to write a story set in a world where fantasy roleplaying never became popular. Instead, Super hero roleplaying was the big thing during the seventies and eighties. Fantasy games like D&D became obscure, but some were cult classics.

And one such tabletop game was called _Final Fantasy_, created as a last ditch effort by a company on the verge of bankruptcy. Though it became a cult hit among gamers wanting a different roleplaying experience, it lasted only a few years before the company fell apart.

This story follows some gamers playing _Final Fantasy_, most of them for the first time with adventure modules based off of the real life first Final Fantasy game. This is just the first of a planned series of stories, each one based off of a different game.

Well anyway, enough random jabbering. On to the actual storyline.

NOTE: Due to the nature of the story, the narrative will drift in and out of a script-like format. The reason is because of reader convenience. Roleplaying is very VERY dialogue driven. Multiple speakers describe their actions and what they say. It would be repetitive for the reader to constantly say "Jack said, Aaron said, Brian said, etc." This is the reason why roleplaying session transcripts are generally written in such a format. Though the whole story won't be like this, just the actual roleplaying parts.

**DISCLAIMER: **Btw, I do not own Final Fantasy, I'm just a loyal fan. Also, I do not own in any way the webcomics Darths and Droids, DM of the Ring, or 8-Bit Theater but I do recommend them to any RPG fans. I also do not own Dr. Pepper and wholeheartedly believe root beer is better. Sorry Dr. Pepper fans : o

_Update 8-20-10: Fixed a minor typo where Brian said "Jack" instead of "Aaron."_

_Update 9-17-10: It has come to my attention that I made a typo involving the beverages that they are drinking. Thank you Alex for informing me._

_Update 12-13-11: After over a year of no activity with this fic, I've finally got the time to come back and try to write more of it. Before I start new chapters, I'll be revising the ones I have, finally fixing the above mentioned typo (I swear I thought I fixed it twice...). The third chapter is actually already halfway done from a year ago... I just never finished it. But I will very soon, so stay tuned!_

* * *

_Chapter One: A Party With No Mage._

The GM knocked on the door, a blue bag slung over his shoulder. He impatiently waited for the door to open. He was always excited on game nights.

After a few seconds, the apartment door opened and the GM saw his friend Mike in the doorway.

"Welcome," Mike said, stepping aside to let the GM in the small apartment.

Just inside the apartment was the table the friends used for tabletop gaming with a few movement grids and dice scattered about. Currently, only one person was sitting at the table, Brian. "Ah! Steve's here!" Brian said, getting up to greet the GM.

"Hello hello," the GM said as he headed over to the table. He sat down and started rummaging through his blue bag, getting his stuff out. "Anyone else here?"

"Oh yeah," Mike said. "Jack is in the bathroom. Aaron said he is on his way."

"Knowing Aaron, that means he'll be here sometime before tomorrow evening," Brian said with a laugh. The GM smiled. Aaron was always late.

"Ah, Steve's here." Everyone looked towards the back of the room to see Jack coming out of the bathroom. "So now we just need Aaron."

"Lame," Mike stated.

"We might as well get started creating your characters," Steve said, setting up his GM screen.

"I've already created mine," Mike stated. "Anyone want a drink?" He opened up the fridge, pulling out a root beer.

"Dr. Pepper for me," Jack said as he sat down at his spot on the table.

"Same for me," Brian said.

"I'll take a root beer," the GM requested.

"Sorry, I didn't get any," Mike apologized.

"You say this knowing that I have full control over the world you'll be visiting tonight."

He grinned. "Yeah, I'll take my chances. Sorry man."

"I'll take a Dr. Pepper then. So you said you already made your character?"

"Yeah," Mike said, bringing the drinks over. He was the only one other than the GM who had actually read the rules for this _Final Fantasy_ game they would be playing tonight. He placed the five drinks around the table.

"Uh," Brian said. "I think you got one too many."

"Oh no I didn't. That one is for Aaron." His friends gave him odd looks. "What? I don't feel like getting up when he comes."

"Can I see your character sheet?" the GM asked. He had to be careful with Mike. The guy had a knack to bend the rules to his favor. In the many rpgs they had played, he would create his characters with as many minor drawbacks he could find that would give him the most bonus creation points for the least inconvenience possible. Of course, the game they were going to play was class based instead of point buy based. But even then, there was plenty of room to exploit the system.

"Sure."

The GM looked over the sheet carefully. "You picked a thief?"

"Yep."

"And... You're an elf? You know that-"

"Yeah, I know that elves are supposed to be Tolkien-esque jolly do-gooders. But really... would ALL elves be like that? I mean, why do all elves have to be good when all humans aren't?"

"Fine... As long as you make it interesting." The rulebook actually said that elves should not be thieves do to their supposedly sugar-coated, good-hearted nature. Oddly enough, they can still control powerful destructive magic as Black Mages.

"Sure thing," Mike said. In reality, he just fancied that nice dexterity bonus the elves got as well as the nifty low light vision. The GM knew that's the real reason for Mike choosing the elf, but he let it slide. He did have a point, even though the rulebook portrayed them in such a positive and bright light. The rulebook actually said that elves should not be thieves do to their supposedly sugar-coated, good-hearted nature. Oddly enough, they can still control powerful destructive magic as Black Mages. But still, no thieves, no evil actions. Why can't elves be people, too?

"So Mike... why thief?" Steve asked.

"Because they are sneaky bastards. And have a high evasion rate. I mean, many of the other classes have high hit points, but they also get hit more often."

"Any idea what they are talking about?" Jack asked Brian. Brian shook his head. "Yeah, me neither," Jack said.

"You'll get a hang of it," the GM stated as he passed the character sheet back to Mike. "Okay, guys, time to create your characters. I guess first you should choose your class."

"Class?" Brian and Jack asked together.

"Basically your role," Mike chimed in. Mike and Steve passed their rulebooks to the other two gamers. They were the only ones who actually went out and bought the rulebooks.

After some time, Brian spoke up. "Yep, fighter is for me." In previous super hero games, Brian liked to play as a very tank like character, able to take a lot of punishment. The best way to survive is to take no damage at all from attacks. The description in the book said that the fighter could equip the heaviest armor and thus meant he could take the most punishment from enemies.

"I think I like the black belt," Jack said. He always played the badass normal type of character in their super hero campaigns. Instead of powers, his characters relied on peak human abilities and martial art skills. He felt that the black belt was the badass normal of the setting.

"Hmm... You guys sure?" Steve asked. "None of you wants to play as a mage?" A recommended party has at least two mages, a designated healer and a mage to dish out offensive magic. But so far, the party had no mage at all.

"I looked at those," Jack said. "The descriptions say that they can't take many hits."

"Yeah, we won't survive as mages," Brian said, grinning towards Jack. They were notorious for rushing into combat on many occasions.

"Alright, as you wish." The GM felt a little down that his group couldn't realize the potential of mages. But ah well. They could still survive with what they had. "Now choose your race."

"Uhm... White?" Brian said.

"I wanna be some kind of Asian," Jack stated. "You know, like a martial artist from the East kind of thing."

"No, that's not what I meant," the GM said, laughing at their comments. Mike chuckled a bit too. "Fantasy race. You guys ever read Lord of the Rings?"

"No?" Brian said.

"I read the first book," said Jack. "I got bored."

"Ah, you should give it another chance, man," Mike stated. Mike was the special sort of man who had read all of Tolkien's books and stories at least twice.

"Well races are like those in Lord of the Rings," the GM said, bringing the topic back to focus. "You have the all around humans, the hardy but clumsy dwarves, and the skillful but frail elves."

"What about hobbits?" Jack asked.

"I think they are called halflings in the game. Copyright reasons I suppose."

"I'm going with human," Brian said.

"Me too," Jack stated. "I can't see a dwarf or elf being a martial artist."

"You guys are sure? You don't want to read the descriptions for them?"

"Nah, we are good," Jack announced for both of them.

"Alright. Now for attributes, combat stats, starting equipment, and all the other good stuff. Hmm... This may take awhile."

After some time, the character sheets were all filled out and ready for play. But Jack and Brian didn't fully understand all of their statistics and what they meant. Steve said they would come to understand as they played the game.

"I got a good name for my character," Jack said. The others looked at him, waiting for his idea. "Chak Yi."

"Chak... Like Jack?" Brian asked.

"Ha, lame," Mike stated.

"Eh, it's better than 'Bryant.'"

"Hey!" Brian exclaimed. "I couldn't think of a good name!"

"Well mine is Snivel the Rogue," Mike said. "Scourge of the streets of Elfheim!"

"Did you just make that up?" Brian asked.

"He wishes," the GM said. "It's a town mentioned in the rulebook."

"So when did Aaron say he'd get here?" Brian questioned.

"He said he was on his way," Mike stated.

"From where?"

"He went to see Leslie. Which is just down the street... Either he is having major car troubles or he is getting laid."

"Are they, like, together?" Brian asked.

"Dunno," Mike said.

"Well, we might as well get started," the GM said. "He can just jump in later."

"Fine by me," Mike said. The others nodded in agreement.

"Alright." Steve picked up a book titled "Heroes of Corneria" and opened it up. "The world is veiled in darkness..."

* * *

GM: … The wind stops, the sea is wild, and the Earth begins to rot. The people wait, their only hope a prophecy- "When the world is in darkness, three, er, four warriors will come-" After a long journey, three of those warriors arrive.

Mike: I take it those "warriors" are us.

Jack: What tipped you off?

GM: You all are brought together for one purpose: a king's cry for help.

Mike: And why should I help him?

GM: Kings are wealthy.

Mike: Point well taken.

GM: You three travelers have heard of the king's pleas. His daughter, the princess of Corneria, has been captured by a man named Garland.

Jack: Wait, how did someone manage to _capture_ a princess?

GM: Garland was known far and wide as a proud knight of Corneria. He was the king's most trusted soldier. And, uh...

_The GM couldn't really find a defined motive for such an act in the module. It just says that the man was a very prestigious knight that decided one day to just kidnap the princess for the thrill of it. Unsatisfied, he figured it was time to improvise._

GM: … And he was well known as the princess's lover. Initially arranged by the king, the princess grew close to her husband to be. But something went wrong. Maybe the princess found another man behind Garland's back, or maybe there was some other dispute. But one night, Princess Sarah disappeared. And Garland was nowhere to be seen.

_The GM figured that was enough to satisfy the adventurers until he came up with some details for this backstory. He even added a name to the previously unnamed princess, though he didn't have the time to think up some fantasy sounding name. Ah well, Sarah would do._

Brian: Sounds solid. So where do we meet?

GM: On the outskirts of the city of Corneria. All three of you had heard of the price on Garland's head and conveniently met up with each other before entering.

Mike: Convenient indeed.

Brian: I draw my axe.

Jack: Dude, we are friends.

Brian: I don't know that yet. "Who are you?" I say. "Friend or foe?"

Jack: "Friend, dumbass."

Mike: "Yeah why would I attack you? I just have a dagger to your axe."

Jack: "And I'm unarmed."

Brian: "An unarmed black belt can be a very dangerous foe."

Jack: "Good thing I'm not a foe, huh? So who are you?"

Brian: "Bryant, knight of Corneria. And you?"

Jack: "Chak Yi."

Mike: "And I'm Snivel the Ro- er Traveler. Of Elfheim."

Brian: "I'm guessing you two came for the bounty on Sir Garland's head."

_The other players nod. Brian decided to improvise a backstory to his character by detailing that he is actually a knight of Corneria as opposed to just a mere traveler._

Brian: "Good. Corneria needs more men to sacrifice for the safe return of Her Royal Highness."

Jack: "Sacrifice?"

Brian: "Several heroes have ventured to get the princess from Garland's clutches. And none have returned."

Mike: "As long as we are paid well."

Jack: "You can't get paid for dying."

Mike: "Well... If we work together I'm sure we can bring her back."

Brian: "What a... noble thought, Sir Traveler. Let's go find Princess, uhm..."

GM: "Sarah."

Brian: Yeah that. Uhm, where is Sarah at, by the way?

GM: You'll have to have an audience with the king and ask him.

Mike: We can't just go find her ourselves?

GM: You could. But the king knows where Garland is. That and it'll buy time for Aaron to finally come.

Jack: Good point. "To the king!"

GM: You walk along the streets of Corneria, heading to the large castle in the distance. You walk by the many buildings and the nameless peasants tending their houses and living peacefully.

Mike: I attempt to steal.

GM: Steal from what?

Mike: I'm sure the peasants have something to steal from.

GM: It's doubtful you'll get much. But roll anyway.

_As Mike rolls the dice, GM consults the Heroes of Corneria module book. There he actually finds a chart displaying what a thief might steal from the townspeople after a roundabout check. _The development team thinks of everything, _thought the GM. When he looks up from the book, he sees that Mike rolled a perfect 10, after rolling the ten sided dice._

GM: Oh wow.

Mike: What? What did I get?

GM: Three potions. Despite the fact that these are all poor simple folk.

Mike: I'm just that good.

Jack: Nah. You just got lucky.

Brian: "I'll pretend I didn't notice what you just did, Traveler. But that is the one and only time."

Mike: Hmm... Steve, from now on when I roll to steal it's assumed that I'm trying to make sure Sir Goody Knight doesn't notice.

GM: Alright. After Snivel the... Traveler sneaks a few potions from the unsuspecting townsfolk, the three of you continue to the-

Mike: Wait! I wanna sell those.

GM: Keep them. Trust me. You'll need them. Especially since you don't have a healer.

Brian: Wait, were we supposed to buy potions with our initial equipment money?

GM: You didn't buy any?

Brian: No. I spent all my money on armor. Well, and this axe.

Mike: I spent mine on a dagger, leather armor, some rope, a long pole, lock picks, a grappling hook, a crowbar, some flint, a torch, and a small compact mirror. But I didn't think to get any potions.

Brian: What the hell... Do you need all of those things?

Mike: They could come in handy. You never know.

GM: Are you sure you can carry all of that stuff?

Mike: I got a backpack, too. And some pouches. The encumbrance rules are pretty lax.

GM: Hmm... fine.

Jack: Well I got some potions. I had some extra money since I didn't have to buy a weapon.

GM: Good. Now, you continue onwards to the castle. A guard greets the party. "Welcome to Corneria. Have you brought more heroes to rescue the princess, Bryant?"

Brian: "Yes. And I've decided that I will go with them."

GM: The guard looks concerned. "_You_ are going with them? But..."

Brian: "I'll be fine. This is Chak Yi and this elf is Snivel the Traveler."

GM: "I've heard of a man named Snivel the Rogue from Elfheim. A dastardly sort of underground scum."

Mike: I grin smugly. "Wrong guy. I get that all the time."

GM: "I... see. Come on in." The guard turns aside and lets you follow him inside the large castle.

Mike: I loot the place. But being careful that Bryant doesn't see.

Jack: Uhm dude... it's a castle.

Mike: Oh and so that the guards don't see of course.

GM: Sigh... Roll the dice.

Mike: A 3...

GM: You find nothing. Luckily the guards didn't notice you rummaging the royal castle. Because if they did you would surely be dead.

Mike: See? Skill.

Jack: Actually I think the GM is just being easy on you since it's the first thirty minutes of the campaign.

Mike: GM favor should be a skill.

* * *

There was a knock on the door. "Finally," Mike said. "Come in!"

The door opened and in came Aaron, dice bag in hand. "I'm here!"

"Hey Aaron," Brian said.

"Finally," Jack said. "Have a seat."

Aaron sat down at his normal spot. "This my drink?" He picked it up. "It's warm."

"Yeah you took too long, jack ass," Mike said.

"Sorry. I was at Leslie's. So did you guys start without me?"

"Yeah," Steve said. "Mike, get him up to speed with what is happening and help him create his character."

"Why me?" Mike asked.

"Because out of the four of you, you are the only one who knows the rules."

* * *

Well that was chapter one. I hope you liked it. And like how I plan to do with my other stories, this story will have an after chapter section full of notes and trivia. Enjoy (or skip if you don't care).

_Note on The Game:_

The game system that they are playing isn't really defined and will be mostly left ambiguous. It's not really any actual game system. And if you can't already tell it is d10 based, unlike the world famous D&D system (which is d20 based). But like d20, they'll use other polyhedral dice for damage and other effects.

However, if you want a great tabletop rpg with console style rpgs in mind, I highly recommend Super Console. Last I checked, it was like a dollar for a digital copy.

_Character Notes:_

I actually planned to have one of the characters have a low Intelligence score so they could put more points in other attributes and thus the GM would make them roleplay accordingly. I quickly dismissed the thought because the likely character to have low intelligence would be Brian's Fighter. The thief needed to be cunning and have a bit of skills. The black belt would be wise and have a reasonable intelligence. The fighter, however... All he had to do was swing an axe or sword.

However, I decided against it for two reasons: 1) As I thought about the concept of Brian, I wanted him to be a noble roleplayer. He likes roleplaying (and gets more experience points because of it) and I'd have a hard time showing this if he had to roleplay an idiot (though that could easily come about in another campaign. Which could be interesting. There are some dumb ass characters in some Final Fantasy games). And 2) It would be a blatant rip off of 8-Bit Theater's Fighter.

Brian's character does, however, have the lowest Intelligence score of the bunch (just below average) which may come into play somewhat later, but in a more minor way.

Mike is a very obvious min-maxer, a guy out to get the most out of his character, usually by taking many many drawbacks. However, this game doesn't have a point buy system like the super hero games they usually play and as such he cannot get extra points from drawbacks. But the GM knows full well that he is clever enough to get over such limitations.

Jack has not really been fleshed out yet. And of course neither has Aaron. But this is the first chapter. There is plenty of room for character development and whacky adventures in Final Fantasy Land.

_Coming up next: The Heroes get a third member, Cardigas the Red, and start their journey to the Temple of Chaos. Yeah, lame name. But I don't write the location names. Square does (or well did). Until next time!_


	2. Not Quite Mageless

**To Beege and Radnom:**

Thanks for the reviews! I'm glad people like what I've done so far. And since these chapters are relatively short, I can crank them out faster than on my other fic (which hasn't been update in sooo long).

Now onto the next chapter!

**But First a Note:** Occasionally, a character will say something followed by a number. This is him saying the number he has rolled in the game. However, because it would be extremely redundant, this will only occur in moments when I feel it is necessary to show what number the character rolls. Even if there is no number shown, it is assumed that the characters are rolling dice for their actions.

_Update 9-17-10: It has come to my attention that I made a typo involving the beverages that they are drinking. Thank you Alex for informing me._

_Update 12-13-11: Just like I said in my first chapter, I'm rereading and revising my chapters before posting the next chapter finally. _

* * *

_Chapter Two: Not Quite Mageless_

"Since Aaron is finally here," Jack stated, "I think it's high time that we took a break and get him up to speed."

"So what is this game called again?" Aaron asked as he sipped his lukewarm Dr. Pepper.

"_Final Fantasy_," the GM stated.

"And it is fantastic," Mark added.

"It's hardly even started yet," Brian said. "Hell, we haven't even gotten into combat."

Mike grinned. He couldn't wait until they got into their first combat encounter. He had planned out his character flawlessly. Even though he was a lowly level 1 thief, he knew he was unstoppable.

"So what has happened so far?" Aaron asked.

"We all met up in front of a city called Cornelia," Jack said.

"Corneria," the GM corrected.

"Right, Corneria," Jack said. "And we met Brian, here."

"Bryant," Brian corrected.

"Original," Aaron joked.

"Then," Jack continued, "we were going through the city to see the king about some kidnapped princess. Mike stole from some peasants. And we basically just got into the castle. Which Mike had just tried to loot."

"You tried stealing from _royalty_?" Aaron asked.

"Yep," Mike stated casually.

"Nice."

"So are you ready to create your character?" the GM asked.

"Oh, sure. Dunno what kind of character I want. I don't quite understand what kind of game it is."

"It's a fantasy game," the GM said. "Like with magic and elves and dwarves and stuff."

"Like Lord of the Rings?" Aaron asked.

Mike's eyes lit up. "You've read Lord of the Rings, too?"

"Yeah. All three of them."

"I didn't know that. You've become my best friend."

"Hey, I thought I was your best friend!" Brian exclaimed.

"I've read them, too," the GM stated. "And I'm the _gamemaster_. You want to be on my good side."

"Good point," Mike said. "You are now my very best friend, Steve."

"Ok, so on to creating your character," the GM said to Aaron, getting back to the point. "What kind of character would you like to play as? A warrior, a rogue, a wielder of magic?"

"A magic user would be interesting," Aaron mused. "I like the wizards from Lord of the Rings."

"Good!" the GM said. "The party needs a mage." He passed Aaron the book on the page describing mages so he could look over the descriptions. "You could go with the black mage and steer the enemies away with your offensive magic. Or you could try a white mage and keep your party fully healed and buffed to defend against all the enemies."

"This guy looks interesting," Aaron said while pointing at a picture in the book. It was of a red clothed figure wearing a feathered red hat and wielding a ruby encrested sword.

"Oh, that's the red mage," the GM stated. "It's kind of like the all around class. But you'll probably want to go with one of the two specialized classes."

"I like it."

"You sure? You won't ever reach the potential of a white mage or black mage."

"Yeah but he also won't be taken down by one hit," Brian said.

"This is true," Mike said. "The other mages are very squishy. The red mage is just below them on the Mohs Scale of Squishiness. So he is _marginally _better in that department."

"I'm sure he'll take more hits than a thief," Jack said.

"I'm sure he will. Because my thief won't be taking any hits."

"Back on topic," the GM said. "You are sure about the red mage, then?"

"Oh yeah," Aaron replied. "He seems pretty cool."

"Alrighty then. Let's get started with determining your stats and all the other goodies."

Jack stood up. "Bathroom break," he said.

"You just went like thirty minutes ago," Mike said.

"You were the one who gave me Dr. Pepper."

* * *

When Jack came back, Aaron's character was close to completion. He was deciding on what spells he would take.

"Is there a Conjure Gigantic Sea Creatures spell?" Aaron asked. The group laughed. In the past super hero games they played, one of Aaron's favorite characters that he played as was a comic relief character that could call on the help of sea creatures and fish. However, his most useful (and most used) power was the "Call Upon Giant Sea Creature" power, which did exactly that. Of course the giant creature was less useful when they weren't underwater, but that just made it funnier. The power ended up becoming an in-joke between them.

"Sorry, but no," the GM said, grinning. "But keep in mind you can only choose three from the list. And you have to choose from both Black Magic and White Magic."

"Hmm... Well cure is an obvious one that we will need," Aaron said. "Especially since no one thought to buy any potions."

"I bought some," Jack said as he took his seat.

"Ah, welcome back," Brian said. "And I don't actually need potions since I can soak up so much damage."

"And I'll be evading the attacks anyway," Mike said.

"Whatever you say..."

"Shut up, Steve," Mike replied. "My thief is awesome."

"Anyway, you have two more to choose, Aaron."

"Hmm... Sleep could be really really useful," Aaron said. "Especially if we have to fight a bunch of enemies. But what else..."

"You should probably get an offensive spell. I highly recommend Fire."

"Ah! Thunder! I choose that one."

"Why Thunder?" Jack asked.

"Oh come on, who doesn't want to control electricity?"

"Maybe those who want to control fire..." the GM said, trying to give the gamer a hint.

"So is that all that was left for my character?" Aaron asked.

The GM sighed, deciding to just not worry about it. "Yes."

"Well lets' get started!"

* * *

GM: Alright, Bryant, Snivel, and Chak arrive to the king's throne room.

Mike: I loot the throne room.

GM: Uh... dude. The king is right there in front of you.

Mike: I hide in the shadows to steal stuff.

GM: The room is very well lit. There are no shadows.

Mike: A thief can find shadows anywhere.

GM: Okay then. Roll for your Find Nonexistent Shadows skill.

Mike: Very funny.

GM: Anyway, the king greets the party. "Ah, welcome Sir Bryant. I see you have brought more heroes to help find my poor Sarah. But I have already found a new hero for the task."

Mike: "Who?"

_The GM nods towards Aaron._

Aaron: I walk in front of the party so that they can see me.

Mike: Why couldn't we see you before?

Aaron: I have a higher Find Nonexistent Shadow skill rank than you. "My name is Cardigas the Red," I say to the party. "And I am the hero who shall save Her Royal Highness from the clutches of the evil... Garland was it?"

GM: "Uhm, yes Garland. My once trusted knight."

Mike: "No no no. We are the heroes who shall save princess!"

Aaron: "Well, I guess it is a race then. Whoever brings forth Garland's head is the winner."

GM: "Now, I didn't say anything about killing-"

Mike: "But he has killed the previous heroes, right?"

GM: "Right."

Aaron: "And he's kidnapped your daughter."

GM: "True..."

Mike: "So he deserves death!"

Brian: "Though he was once a most trusted friend and man at arms of mine, I agree with them. Justice must be served."

GM: "I suppose... But Garland is a very dangerous man. I believe that you four must stick together if you are to survive the encounter and bring my daughter back."

Jack: You are only saying that so that we have a reason to form a party with Aaron.

GM: Yep.

Jack: Of course. "I for one think it is a good idea. This Cardigas fellow could be very helpful."

Aaron: "I guess it's unavoidable. But the contest is still on. Whosoever deals the killing blow to Garland shall be the winner."

Mike: "You're on!"

Brian: "No, I shall be the one to deal the final blow. As revenge for his crimes against our kingdom!"

Jack: "I might as well join in, too. Trust me, Your Highness, I'll bring you his head."

GM: "I don't care about his head! I just want my daughter back!"

Jack: "Oh yeah... her. We'll bring her, too. I'm sure I have enough room in my inventory for a princess AND a traitor's head."

Brian: Wow, the encumbrance rules _are_ very lax.

Jack: "Well let's go get this princess!"

GM: But... you don't even know where she is.

Jack: I figured that you'd get an NPC to tell us anyway. I'm just skipping a step.

GM: Fine. You leave the city of Corneria on the road to the Temple of Chaos.

Mike: Nice name...

GM: It says it in the adventure module.

_The GM starts rolling dice while looking at a chart in the Heroes of Corneria book._

Brian: What are you rolling for?

GM: I'm consulting the random encounter chart.

Mike: Combat?

GM: Yes. The party encounters four imps, fiendish little humanoid creatures who kill and loot travelers to and from Corneria. Roll for initiative everyone.

_Roll roll roll._

Mike: Of course I'm first. I attempt to steal from the imps.

GM: What?

Mike: You heard me. I'm a thief. That's what I do.

GM: But... they are imps.

Mike: You said yourself they kill and loot travelers. They are bound to have something.

GM: Okay, fine. Roll.

Mike: Hmm... 7.

GM: A potion.

Mike: That's it?

GM: Imps are weak, dude. I doubt very many travelers fall before the might of a group of petty imps.

Mike: Fine. Who's next?

Brian: I am. I slice one imp up with my axe. 8.

GM: You hit and deal *roll* 10 damage. It's dead. Would you like to roleplay the-

Brian: I slice the imp's head off as the frightened creatures eyes stare in horror at my axe. The head falls to the ground, fright still in his wide open eyes.

GM: Alrighty then... Aaron's turn.

Aaron: I cast Thunder.

GM: You do know that you can only cast three spells before resting, right?

Aaron: Yep.

GM: And you are gonna waste one on imps?

Aaron: I gotta try out my magic somehow. And we still don't know exactly how strong these guys are. I point my sword at one of the imps and a bolt of lightning zaps him.

GM: Alright *roll* you deal 50 damage. The imp is burnt to a crisp. Nothing remains of the little creature.

Mike: _Damn._ Yeah you probably should have saved that...

Aaron: I have no regrets.

Jack: My turn. I lay the smackdown on one of the two remaining imps. 4.

GM: You... miss.

Jack: Hell.

GM: Alright, one imp attacks Bryant and does... 1 damage.

Brian: I'm surprised he actually hurt me.

GM: Well the minimum amount of damage anyone can deal is 1.

Brian: Ah okay. So how does this work then? Does this mean I have a -1 penalty on all my actions?

GM: No you lose one HP.

Brian: Wait, I can lose that? I thought HP was just generally how tough you are.

Mike: HP is hit points, dude. It's how much damage you can take.

Brian: Same thing... right?

Mike: No. When your HP is reduced do 0, you are dead.

_The confusion arises from the fact that the other games they played have a drastically different damage system. _Final Fantasy's _damage system is hit point based. You take damage which reduces this stat and once it hits zero, you are dead. However, they are used to games that have injury based systems. If an attack is damaging enough to affect the character, he gets an injury which gives him a penalty to his actions as well as further damage checks. If the damage is severe or if the character takes too many injuries, he is dead._

GM: The other imp targets Snivel.

Mike: Dumbass. You won't be able to hit-

GM: He hits.

Mike: What? But all you did was roll a 5.

GM: It still hits.

Mike: But... I planned all of this out. See? Look at my evasion stat.

GM: You only get half of that.

Mike: No, but, see I get all of it. I bought the Unaware Evasion advantage.

GM: That's a worthless feat. Did you even read the description for it?

Mike: Yeah. It doubles my evasion.

GM: It doubles your evasion when the attacker is unaware of you.

Mike: Wait... what? But that is stupid. How can an attacker be unaware of-

Jack: Hey, you bought the advantage.

Mike: Shut up, dude.

Brian: Man. The thief sucks. So how much damage does this imp hit him for?

GM: Uhm... 10

Mike: What...? I have 1 HP left.

GM: Your fault for buying that advantage. You could have spent it on boosting your defenses.

Aaron: This is hilarious. Mike finally got bested by the GM.

Mike: So not cool...

Aaron: Oh and don't expect me to heal you, dude. I only have 2 spell charges left.

Mike: I'll just use my potion. It's my turn, isn't it?

GM: Yes... you are at full health now.

Brian: Haha not for long.

Mike: Shut up.

_Mike sits back in awe at his failure. How could he not have noticed how pointless that feat was? And it was a pretty expensive one. For his class, he could only choose two starting abilities. But Unaware Evasion took up two choices._

_The combat ends shortly. Brian and Aaron take out the remaining imps easily. Aaron, of course, didn't use magic this time._

GM: Well that was a nice first combat, wasn't it? 100 experience and 20 gil to everyone.

Mike: You knew that advantage was worthless, didn't you?

GM: Of course I did. But I didn't want to say anything. I figured you had a plan.

Aaron: Haha you just wanted to see him mess up. You are awesome, Steve.

GM: Thank you. And hey, at least you got a potion out of the encounter, Mike.

Mike: Yeah, but I was forced to use it.

Brian: So are we off to the Tomb of Horrors?

GM: It's the Temple of Chaos. Not a bad name, though... Anyway, after dispatching the fiends, you find yourself in front of a ruined structure. Vines run up and down the walls and the entrance is covered in foliage. This place has been abandoned for years. One wonders why Garland has chosen this spot to keep the princess.

Jack: Yeah. Why is that?

_The GM grinned, as if he knew the secret of the abandoned temple. In reality, he had no idea. The module had very sketchy details. It didn't help that the modules were released in installments, and he currently only had the first two. He had no idea what significance, if any, the Temple of Chaos had. But the players didn't have to know that._

Brian: "This is an evil place. We shouldn't be here. If only that monster of a man hadn't brought the princess to this horrible place."

Aaron: "Strange magic fills the air. My heart tells me we should not enter. But my empty pockets are urging me on."

Mike: "I know the feeling. Minus the magic part."

Jack: "I think you should lead the way, Bryant."

Brian: "Why me?"

Jack: "Because you have the highest hit points."

Brian: "Right." I lead the way into the temple.

GM: The air smells of death. The skeletons of long dead warriors litter the hallway. And the corpses of the freshly dead heroes are reminders of the terrors that still lurk in the temple.

Mike: I loot the hallway.

GM: You find a few skulls and a femur.

Mike: I didn't even roll.

GM: I know. But what do you really expect to find in the hallway of some ruins?

Mike: Well I'm sure the dead heroes have stuff.

Brian: "Snivel! It would be disrespectful to steal from these poor souls."

Mike: "Their souls have already left those bodies, Bryant. And their stuff ain't helping them any longer. It would help us save the princess."

Brian: "Hmm... You make a good point, Snivel the Traveler."

GM: Fine. Roll.

_Roll._

GM: You find a potion and 10 gil.

Mike: Just 10 gil...?

GM: They weren't stupid enough to bring all of their valuables with them on an adventure.

The Players: Oh...

* * *

Ah... The end of another chapter. Hope you like it. Time for the extras.

_Of Banks_

Putting money in the bank would be a good investment in a fantasy game. Terrible things can happen to all of your money and personal possessions out in the dangerous environments and dungeons the heroes come across.

But then again, it doesn't help that those banks would probably be run by rogues and thieves. Or worse... actual bank clerks!

Or the Player Character's could start a banking company. Which would be EVEN WORSE. Player Characters are usually horrible people in the first place. Imagine what they would do with all of the faceless NPCs' money.

_Usefull Useless Thief_

Originally, I was going to have Mike getting away with min-maxing his thief. He was going to be unstoppable... and utterly boring. And nobody likes a flawless character.

Thankfully, DragonAtma of the gamefaqs message boards gave me the incredible idea of having Mike failing with his min-maxing. A very funny idea. And I started thinking of a way to bring this idea into the story.

And then I thought of the Unaware Evasion feat, an advantage that is completely pointless.

So special thanks goes to DragonAtma for inspiring such a great idea!

_Random Trivia_

Some of you will notice that there is a very very obvious reference to Darths and Droids in this chapter. I know it's a rip off. It is meant as a shout-out, showing how much I simply love the esteemed webcomic. Bonus points for anyone who can find the reference.

There's also a handful of TvTropes references in the story, which will probably continue to pop up. I wouldn't recommend trying to look them up, **TvTropes WILL ruin your life.**

Though it hasn't been stated, the series is actually set somewhere in the early nineties (before the _fictional Final Fantasy _company goes bankrupt). Just a little detail I wanted to put in. Though it wasn't very long ago, it was a far different time. Very few people had cell phones, generally nobody had even heard of the internet, and you had to actually _buy_ your rpg sourcebooks instead of downloading ebooks (for about half price) and keeping them on your computer. Shocker, I know.

Of course, this means that Tvtropes doesn't exist yet. Which would make the references to it a bit of an anachronism. I guess.

That's all the trivia for now, though. Now onto the preview starting...

_NOW!: The Heroes enter the foreboding lair of Garland, the fallen knight. An epic battle with the party's first villain awaits! Oh yeah and Mike tries stealing more stuff._


	3. Chaotic Encounter of Chaos

_Chapter Three: Chaotic Encounter of Chaos_

As promised, here is the next chapter in the ongoing saga of Bryant the knight, Chak Yi the Monk, Cardigas the Red, and Snivel the... Traveler. Terribly sorry for the long wait. Enjoy!

* * *

GM: Where are you going, Mike?

Mike: Bathroom

Jack: Should we wait until he gets back to continue?

Aaron: Nah...

GM: Fine with me. It is very dark inside the Temple, with very little illumination.

Jack: Hey wait! Doesn't Mike have a torch?

GM: He does.

Jack: Can we use that?

GM: Without his permission?

Jack: Come on, he'd want to anyway. It's dark in this place. Why wouldn't he use it?

GM: Good point. Listlessly, Snivel the Traveler lights his torch, illuminating the Temple for the heroes. It reveals a room with a pathway leading to the center of the Temple. On either side of you, you see doors to two other, presumably smaller rooms...

Aaron: "I'm sure Garland would be in the center of the Temple."

Brian: "He could have holed up in one of the other rooms to deceive us."

Jack: "And why would he? He has slain every hero who has come to him. Why would he need to hide if he had the power to protect himself?"

Brian: "Good point. He has to be in the center."

GM: But don't you want to explore the place, make sure you've searched every nook and cranny for anything useful?

Brian: Why would we? We are here for Garland.

Jack: And besides, what useful things would we find in an abandoned temple?

GM: Fine... Whatever you say.

_The GM tried. Sure, they were there to get Garland. But a big part of fantasy roleplaying was the exploration. Searching everywhere for treasures that, admittedly, shouldn't even be in some random, abandoned dungeon is part of the fun. _

GM: As you approach the center of the Temple, you feel a dark power nudging at you, as if trying to push you back.

Aaron: "What kind of dark magic is this?"

Brian: "A kind that apparently doesn't work. I can still go forward."

Jack: "It seems to have some kind of effect, though. It's apparently turned Snivel into a mute."

Brian: "What a shame."

_The GM starts rolling dice behind his screen. _

Jack: What is that for?

GM: Out from the shadows, the party spots several approaching creatures. Three of them are giant black spider, each standing about two feet off the ground. They scurry over to the party, purple venom dripping from their mouths. Following the spiders is a reanimated skeleton.

Jack: Reanimated... skeleton?

GM: Undead skeletal zombie.

Jack: But dude... how can they move without muscles? I mean... if they are just bones...

Aaron: "Be weary, travelers! This is dark necro magic!"

Brian: This game is starting to get awesome! "What a horrible fate, to have to spend the afterlife as some unguided skeletal zombie!"

Aaron: "It won't be like this for long. We'll release him!"

Jack: So how far are these creatures from us?

GM: Well since they have been progressively getting closer as you guys have been carrying on such an important conversation... They are right ahead of you. Just a few meters between the you and the enemy party.

Jack: Oh crap...

GM: Everybody roll for initiative.

_Clatter clatter clatter._

GM: Go on Aaron.

Aaron: I'm actually first? I thought Mike had a higher initiative.

GM: Yeah... but his roll was horrendous.

Aaron: Alright. Hmm... I'll just attack one of the spiders.

GM: No magic this time?

Aaron: No magic this time.

GM: You kill it. One down, two to go.

Brian: Plus the skeleton.

GM: Yep. Well, Snivel's turn. Uh... should we wait until he comes back-

Jack: He's just gonna try to steal from one of the monsters.

GM: Alright fine. Which one will Snivel steal from.

Jack: I guess just one of the spiders. I mean, does it really matter?

GM: Spider it is. And... Snivel steals a... what?

Brian: What's wrong?

GM: He steals an antidote.

Jack: From a poisonous spider...?

GM: Yes...

Aaron: Oh come on, it makes perfect sense. It's like how in real life the venom itself is used and tampered with to find an antidote to it. It's just, in this world we are skipping a step. The spider's venom IS the antidote... if used right.

GM: Sure.

_The GM wasn't going to argue with Aaron even though his reasoning was no where near sound. But... It was believable. At least for the players. In reality, the rules don't allow stealing from creatures like spiders or even imps. So he had to use the Default Pickpocketing Table which led to odd results like potions and antidotes. He made a mental note to make his own Stealing Tables before the next session. _

GM: Alright. Jack is up.

Brian: Why am I always last?

GM: All that armor gives you an initiative penalty, dude.

Brian: Oh yeah.

Jack: I go all kung fu on one of the spiders. Punching, kicking, SCREAMING.

GM: He's dead. Would you like to describe your-

Jack: I kick the spider on its back and start tearing each and every limb off then I kick it square in the... er face.

Brian: "Holy heavens, Chak. I thought martial artists from the East are a peaceful sort."

Jack: "We are until everything, even spiders, start trying to kill us. I want to keep the peace. But there's no way to keep the peace when you are dead."

GM: I might want to add that you guys attacked first, Jack. They haven't even tried harming you yet.

Aaron: Oh come on. They are monsters in a Temple of fricken _Chaos_. That's the kind of name you run from quick. You know why? Because you know that everything in it is gonna try to kill you. We knew they'd attack. Otherwise you wouldn't have described their approach to us.

GM: _*****__shrug*_ This is true. Anyway, Brian's turn.

Brian: A layeth the smacketh downeth on the last giant spider.

GM: Yeah... overkill.

Brian: I slice it in two with my axe and the force of the attack slices each half into fourths.

Jack: Is that even possible?

Brian: Is a reanimated skeleton even possible?

Jack: Touche.

GM: Anyway, it is the skeleton's turn. He attacks Chak and... misses.

Mike: Alright, I'm back. What did I miss?

Aaron: _Everything._

Brian: We're in a fight with three spiders and some skeletal zombie thingy.

Mike: Oh nice. Is it my turn?

Aaron: Nah it's mine. Oh yeah and the spiders have been killed already.

Mike: … You started without me? Did you take my turn?

Jack: Yeah we figured you would just steal from something so we had you steal from a spider.

Mike: A spider? I would have stolen from the skeleton that at least used to be human. I mean... he'd have more loot. In theory...

Jack: Oh... Well you got an antidote, now.

Mike: From a spider?

Jack: Yeah.

Mike: Nice.

GM: Anyway, it is Aaron's turn. What do you choose to do?

Aaron: Hmm... are skeleton's weak against magic?

_Mike pulls out his copy of the bestiary._

GM: You have a bestiary too?

Mike: Yeah. And undead are weak against fire. Oh... that's why Steve recommended the Fire spell.

Aaron: Hell... Oh well I'm sure we won't be fighting much undead after this. I'll just attack him.

GM: Your aim is true yet you don't deal enough damage to take down the undead warrior. Alright next is Snivel.

Mike: My turn! I steal from the skeleton.

GM: You steal a bone.

Mike: No, really.

GM: I'm serious. You can't find something useful everytime.

Mike: But... it used to be human, right? I'm sure it has something.

GM: Okay okay. You steal a very old, moldy, sour potion. I wouldn't recommend drinking it.

Mike: Okay, fine.

Jack: Alright I'll finish the guy off. I punch him in the skull.

GM: The skeleton's head flies off his body, but he still has some hit points left.

Jack: He's still alive... without a head?

GM: Yep. He is still pulling himself along, swinging his sword around without a head.

Brian: "These demonic things are hard to kill! Step aside, Chak!" I roll a 10.

GM: Critical hit!

Brian: A critical?

GM: It means a great success. After dealing such a powerful blow to the skeleton, it crumbles into several pieces. And that ends the combat. Experience and gil for everyone!

Jack: About that.. how are we getting money from giant spiders and old skeletons?

GM: Uhm... well...

Aaron: Oh well obviously the monsters don't really give us money. But we can take some loot like uh... I dunno the spiders' legs and the skeleton's skull and bring them to town to sell. Instead of making us manage all of the extra inventory items, the game system automatically translate this loot into gil.

Brian: Actually, that does make a bit of sense. But who would buy spider legs and skulls?

Aaron: Oh come on, there's gotta be someone out there who'd buy those things. There are some pretty weird people in the world.

GM: And you never know, spider legs could be tasty.

_The GM didn't question Aaron's theory simply because the book didn't explain this concept at all. Why would creatures give money when they die? The imps could possibly have money on them and maybe the reanimated skeletons... but spiders? _

Brian: "There is something wrong with this place."

Aaron: "We must get out of here soon. There is evil magic at work here."

Brian: "I don't remember Garland having any skill in magic arts."

Mike: Hmm... Maybe he changed his class...

Brian: "Changing your background and skills at will as if it were some new job? Preposterous!"

Jack: "Whatever he is up to, he must be stopped."

Aaron: "Yes! Let's hurry and find him so we can cut his head off and bring it to the king!"

Brian: Alright Steve, we keep heading forward.

Mike: Are we just in a hallway going forward?

GM: Oh no, there are paths leading to the right and left.

Mike: We should go through one of those paths first.

Brian: Why?

Mike: Well Garland is probably in the middle of the ruins.

Aaron: Yeah, we kinda figured that. That's why we are going forward.

Mike: But, there could be loot!

Jack: Oh come on. There can't be anything of value here. What do you expect to find, random chests full of treasure littered around the place?

Mike: Actually, yes.

_The GM was trying to hold his tongue. It was up to the players to decide what to do, but... there actually was treasure to be found in the Temple of Chaos. Maybe Mike could convince them..._

Brian: Hey shouldn't we be roleplaying this conflict? "I say our top priority is Garland's head. I'm sure Snivel the Traveler may have a point. There could be some treasures to be found in this old place. But let's not over exhaust our resources looking for them just yet when we have a head to claim."

Aaron: "And a princess."

Brian: "Yes, and a princess."

Aaron: "But more importantly the head."

Mike: "Fine. Head first. Loot later."

GM: So I assume you guys keep going forward?

_The players nod_.

GM: Okay. That same unnatural feeling pushes at you as you keep walking forward. It gets stronger and stronger until you reach the dark, aging door. You can hear someone sobbing behind it.

Brian: "The princess!"

Aaron: "We should storm in there, catch him by surprise."

Mike: "No wait! It could be trapped!"

The other players: What?

Mike: Okay, I take out my pole and get on the floor then ease the pole under the door and move it around to see if I can find any traps.

GM: Uh, nothing happens, Mike.

Mike: Alright, I get back up and start prodding the ceiling just in front of the door with my pole.

GM: Okay...

Mike: I don't set any traps off?

GM: No.

Aaron: Okay, now we charge in and take him by surprise!

GM: You open the door and rush in to find a large man in dark armor covered in various places with dried black blood. Flowing behind him is slightly torn dark red cape-

Jack: Must be pretty windy in here...

GM: He is already wielding his large sword and staring at the party. Behind him is Sarah, the princess, laying on the ground and staring intently at the heroes. You four have filled her with hope. Beside Sarah is a pedestal with a large, head sized orb of a dark blue color. You can see several bats littered across the room standing on top of the ruined pillars or hanging from the ceiling.

Aaron: Whoa whoa wait a minute! We didn't surprise him?

GM: Garland the dark knight says, "You unfortunate fools were making so much racket! What were you doing poking that pole under the door?"

_Brian, Aaron, and Jack stare distraught at Mike._

Mike: "Well, sorry guys... I thought a competent villain would booby trap the only entrance to his lair."

GM: "You hold your tongue, thief!"

Mike: "_Traveler._"

Brian: "You've caused enough trouble, Garland! We are the Light Warriors here to take your head to the king!"

Aaron: "And to save the princess, of course."

GM: "No one touches my princess! Light Warriors? You impertinent fools. I, Garland, will-"

_The GM had to stop reading this bit of scripted dialogue from the rulebook. He couldn't believe how bad the writing was. I, Garland, will knock you down? Really? He had to improvise fast. I, Garland, will kick you around? No... will bring you down? No... _

Brian: "No, you are Garland no longer."

_Thankfully, Brian had inadvertently saved him. Thank God for his roleplaying skills._

Brian: "Garland was my friend, my fellow knight. He swore an oath to his king and to his princess. To protect, not to harm!"

Garland: "But I am protecting Sarah! No one can reach her here, no one can harm her. She must stay here by my side, or..."

Aaron: "Or what? What are you protecting her from?"

GM: "You four stay away from her!" Garland holds his sword out, ready to strike. "You have to go through me to get to her!"

Mike: "Come on guys, let's take his head and get out of here."

Brian: I hold my axe in front of me. "I'm sorry that I have to do this, old friend."

GM: Garland holds his posture, ready to strike with his large blade. "This goes beyond friendship."

Mike: Alright, so do we roll for initiative?

GM: Yes, combat has started.

Mike: Whoo! First! I try to steal.

GM: Sigh... Okay hold on.

_The GM rolls and consults the improvised stealing chart for Garland he wrote up a few minutes before. He knew Mike would try to steal._

GM: Wow you rolled pretty high and got a phoenix down.

Jack: A what? A phoenix?

Mike: Oooh! It can bring someone back to life.

Brian: Wow, you did good, Mike!

Aaron: Yeah, what a really useful magical artifact.

Jack: But why would Garland have such a thing on him? How would he have gotten such a powerful artifact?

GM: It's... actually sold in stores.

Brian: Whoa. Immortality is sold in stores? Then how is death even an issue anymore in this setting?

GM: Well they are kind of expensive and uh... it's not a straight out back to life kind of thing. When you get to 0 hit points, you are in a kind of near death kind of state. Wait too long, and you die for good.

_This is even more improvisation. The rulebook does not really make it clear whether you actually die or just go unconscious after losing all hit points nor does it say whether the phoenix down brings you back to life or just back to consciousness. It just says that it restores a certain amount of hit points when used on a character with 0 hit points. _

Mike: I think it has more to do with helping us players out. If you happen to have a phoenix down on you when you die, you don't have to go through the trouble of rolling up a new character. It's something the developers used to help us have fun, I guess.

Brian: Ah, it makes sense. It's not like we are playing as super heroes in this game and can just make up some crazy excuse of how we survived, like they do in comic books.

GM: Exactly. So, Jack is next.

Jack: I pummel Garland with my fists.

Mike: You're going to punch a fully armored man not once, but multiple times with your bare fists?

Jack: I'm a monk. I can do that.

GM: You do a little damage, but the rogue knight seems to be a bit unfazed by your attack.

Jack: Ah bruises on my knuckles for nothing.

Aaron: Okay, I'm next. I cast thunder!

GM: A bolt of lightning materializes above Garland and strikes down, dealing 20 damage.

Aaron: Aww... only 20?

GM: A rogue knight of Corneria is going to have more magic defense than a lowly imp.

Aaron: Ah, true...

Brian: Already, me next!

GM: Nope, Garland goes before you.

Brian: Aww lame... he probably has more armor than I do!

GM: Garland runs up to Snivel and swings his sword.

Mike: Aww... why me?

GM: You made him mad with that competent villain remark. Roll.

Mike: Ugh okay... it's a 5.

GM: He hits.

Mike: Really?

GM: Yeah. He deals 8 damage.

Mike: Ah great, now I'm almost dead again.

Jack: Tell you what, I'll use one of my potions on you instead of you having to use up a turn to do so. I'm sure your dagger could pierce that armor better than my fists.

Mike: Alright, thanks.

Brian: Okay, now my turn. Axe cleaving time!

GM: Oh not bad, 10 damage.

Mike: Okay, my turn again. I guess I'll try attacking, then.

GM: You... miss.

Mike: Seriously...

Jack: Haha, don't worry I'll still use one of my potions on you.

GM: Alright, Mike is at full health. Aaron, what will you do?

Aaron: Hmm... you think Sleep would work on him?

Brian: I dunno.. I wouldn't waste it. Like the GM said, he has a higher magic resistance than a normal enemy like an imp, would.

Aaron: Looks like I'm just going to attack. I slash at the fallen knight!

GM: Your blade slices through his armor, dealing some damage. Garland sets his sights for Brian.

Brian: "Garland, we can end this now! No one has to get hurt!"

GM: "No, I must protect her!" He slices at you with his large, heavy sword dealing... 2 damage.

Brian: Wow, this weighty armor really comes in handy.

Mike: Unbelievable...

Jack: Maybe you should have been a warrior, Mike. Thief kind of sucks.

Brian: Okay, now it's my turn again. I attack and roll a... oh wow, a perfect 10.

GM: Wow, another critical. You do just enough damage to finish him off. Want to roleplay the finishing blow?

Brian: Do you really have to ask? I parry his blows oncoming blows and knock his large sword out of his hands. Then I plant the blade of my axe deep into his chest, tearing through the armor.

GM: Garland falls to the ground, axe still impaled in his chest. He seems to try sputtering some last words, but nothing comes out before his eyes go dead.

Aaron: "Aww, now he can't tell us what he was trying to protect the princess from."

Brian: "Yeah, but now he can't do anyone any harm." I pull my axe out of his chest.

Mike: "Okay, let's take his head and bring him back to the king for our reward."

GM: Uhm... The reward was for the princess.

Mike: Oh yeah! Well I guess we could just take her back to him, then.

Jack: Yeah I'd rather not carry a disembodied head around with me.

Brian: "Princess Sarah! Are you hurt?"

GM: "No... no. I'm okay. He didn't hurt me, just kidnapped me. He wouldn't let me leave, even when hero after hero came for me and... well you know what happened to them."

Aaron: "Any idea why Garland took you to these terrible ruins in the first place?"

GM: "I have no idea. He kept saying that he had to protect me from something, but never said what."

Brian: "Hmm... this is very curious. Ah well, I guess we should escort you back, now."

* * *

"Alright, I think that should wrap it up for this session," said the Steve, folding up his GM screen. "You guys did get enough experience to level up, though, so we can go ahead and do that now."

"Level up?" Brian asked. "Is that anything like a power level?"

"Kind of..." Mike said. "You do get more powerful as you level up."

"Yes, you are now level 2 heroes," the GM said. "We will have to go over all the stat increases and the like."

"Alright, sounds cool," Jack said. "Maybe now Mike will be of better use."

"Ah shut it, at least I'm getting us some extra items from stealing."

"I dunno about you guys, but this fantasy game is fun," Aaron said. "I like it."

"Oh, same here," Brian said. "It's good to get away all the super heroics every now and then."

"Yeah," Aaron stated. "Plus Garland being something more sympathetic than just a generic evil villain was a pretty neat twist. I can't wait to find out what all that was about.

Steve grinned. All of that was more improvisation, of course. The rulebook does not explain much at all. There's very few bits of backstory for the setting or the characters themselves. However, he did not not know yet _what_ Garland tried protecting Sarah from. He'd just have to read ahead in the adventure modules he had and try to come up with a good reason to go with the campaign.

* * *

Well, it's been a long time, but there's the first new chapter in a year. I hope you enjoyed. Now for some authors notes and trivia!

_Of GM Improv_

Fans of the original Final Fantasy will know that it had the least story of any of the main series. There was not much in terms of character development and development of setting. This is one of the reasons why I started with this game for this story. It'd be simple and easy to adapt for this kind of story and it'd help me introduce the players. But this lack of story is reflected in the adventure modules Steve has to read. He constantly has to improvise to explain some of the eccentricities of the game and the setting. This also allows me to pick fun at various console rpg tropes, of course.

Eh, I don't have much to say this chapter. But anyway, I'll go ahead and start planning out the next chapter. I promise it won't be a year until I post it. So...

_Next chapter: The heroes have completed their first adventure and leveled up, but they must first make it back to the castle hopefully with Sarah unharmed. Also, Mike loots the ruins. _


End file.
